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Rogers Park Fire Under Investigation As 'Criminal Matter'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- An extra-alarm fire that injured several firefighters and left at least seven families homeless appears to have been set intentionally.

About 200 firefighters responded to a fire at a four-story apartment building in the 1700 block of West Estes Avenue on Monday. One firefighter was injured when a stairwell collapsed, and seven others were hurt slipping on ice.

Ald. Joe Moore (49th) said Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago told him Tuesday morning investigators consider the fire to be "a criminal matter."

"He told me that they did find a substance on the stairwell that appears to be an accelerant," Moore said.

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The alderman said a section of the stairwell was being sent to two labs for testing, and results might not be available for a few weeks.

Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said, "based on evidence found at the scene," the investigation has been turned over to the Chicago Police Bomb and Arson Unit.

Moore called the possible criminal nature of the fire, "very, very disturbing." He said detectives are looking for clues, including looking for any nearby video that might be helpful.

No residents were injured in the fire, but Moore said 16 apartments were affected by the blaze, and of those, seven were left uninhabitable. He also said all seven families now left homeless appear to be recent immigrants or refugees; from Nepal, Malaysia, and Mexico.

In the last ten years, city inspectors found 39 code violations at the building. Among them: failure to maintain the stairway, failure to repair parts of the porch and rotted windows.

Alderman Moore says he gets reports from the Building Department on buildings with code violations.

"Many of us, myself included, have a staff assistant who spends a good portion of her time monitoring the courts and particularly the buildings that are of serious concern," Moore said.

Moore says there wasn't anything in the report that the conditions might spread a fire.

"This has not a building that has been on our radar screen," he said.

The American Red Cross said it has assisted 40 people who lived in the building. Of those, 25 people left homeless were being given help in finding new homes.

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